Electromechanical actuators (EMAs) play a key role in the performance and cost effectiveness of intelligent electro-mechanical systems. This role is underscored by the growing market for EMAs. Indeed, significant parallels exist between the market development currently unfolding for EMAs and the market development of semiconductor chips seen in the electronics industry over the past several decades. At present, it is forecasted that EMAs will see a continued growth of 50% every three years, and that the market for EMAs will exceed the market for semiconductor chips in two decades.
In order for EMAs to realize their full commercial potential, it is important for the cost structure of these devices to be reduced. This, in turn, requires that EMAs become more modularized, so that a relatively small set of EMAs may be developed which span a wide range of applications. By contrast, much of the development in EMAs to date has occurred via an ad hoc approach, in which EMAs are developed for a particular end use and are unsuitable for a broader range of applications.
The realization of a modularized set of EMAs requires the further development of quick-change interfaces to allow the actuators to be quickly adapted or repurposed to work with different tools and systems. Several interfaces have been developed in the art to date. The interfaces depicted in FIGS. 1-10 (not all of which are quick-change interfaces) are representative, and include the Nema flanged interface 101, the Nema bolt circle interface 103, the kinematic coupling interface 201, the Curvic rigid coupling interface 301, and the Tesar-Shin precision coupling interface 401.